Biographies of Presidents

Member Presidents

Dr. Don Wright, Chair, Polytechnics Canada, and President
BCIT
Anne Sado, Vice Chair, Polytechnics Canada, and President
George Brown College
Robert Gillett, President
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology
Dr. John Tibbits, President
Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
John Davies, President
Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Dr. Glenn Feltham, President and CEO
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
Irene Lewis, President and CEO
SAIT Polytechnic
David Agnew, President
Seneca College
Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President
Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Dr. Don Wright

President
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

Don Wright’s career includes experience in the academic, private and public sectors. Dr. Wright has been president of BCIT since 2008 and became Chair of Polytechnics Canada last year. Earlier, he taught at several universities and served as Deputy Minister in various ministries for the Saskatchewan and British Columbia governments. From1997 to 2001, Dr. Wright was Vice-President of Forestry, Environment and Corporate Affairs with Weldwood of Canada. He returned to government in 2001 as Deputy Minister of Forests until 2003 when he established Analytica Consulting, which provided advice to public and private sector clients. In October 2011, Dr. Wright was asked to serve on the federal Expert Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, whose final report is due this summer. Dr. Wright holds a B. Comm. from the University of Saskatchewan, a MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Anne Sado

President
George Brown College

Anne Sado has led George Brown College through several years of unprecedented growth and renewal since she became its president in January 2004. Beyond her leadership of George Brown, Ms. Sado was recognized by The Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women of 2010. She chairs the Trillium Health Centre and The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network and sits on the boards of such diverse organizations as the Toronto Board of Trade, Legacy Private Trust, the Toronto Region Research Alliance and the Toronto Financial Service Alliance. Ms. Sado has also served as past Chair of Colleges Ontario’s Committee of Presidents and sat on the boards of the YWCA of Greater Toronto, Junior Achievement and the Canadian Hearing Society Foundation. Before joining George Brown, Ms. Sado, an engineer, spent more than two decades working for Bell Canada in various capacities including Senior Vice-President of Business Processes and Operational Effectiveness. Ms. Sado’s education focus is cultivating a workforce with the right balance of skills for the knowledge economy, innovation in learning and to transition new Canadians into productive careers that will drive economic growth. She was inducted into the University of Toronto’s prestigious Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2010 and awarded the Ontario Professional Engineers Gold Medal for public service and professional leadership in 2007. She has also received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for her work with the YWCA of Greater Toronto. Ms. Sado holds a MBA as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Robert Gillett

President
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology

Prior to becoming President and Chief Executive Officer of Algonquin College in 1996, Robert C. Gillett served as a Governor of the College for five years. Mr Gillet has 40 years experience in education, including 13 years of teaching and administration and 27 in senior management. Before becoming Algonquin president, Mr. Gillett was Director of Education for the Ottawa Board of Education. Mr. Gillett is a Director and past Chair of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and serves on the boards of the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Colleges Library Services, the Ontario College Applications Service Board as well as the Ottawa United Way. Mr. Gillett holds a BA from Carleton University as well as a MA in Education.

Dr. John Tibbits

President
Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Dr. John Tibbits has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning since 1987. Prior to joining Conestoga, he held senior administrative positions at Dawson College in Montreal, Touche Ross & Partners in Ottawa and Canada Post Corporation in Ottawa. Last year, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce awarded Dr. Tibbits its Lifetime Achievement Award and he was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. In 2000, Dr. Tibbits was voted Business Leader of the Year by the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the boards of Cambridge North Dumfries Hydro, the Accelerator Network, Canada’s Technology Triangle, the Business and Education Partnership and the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. As well, Dr. Tibbits is on the campaign cabinet for the regional United Way. Dr. Tibbits holds a B.Sc. and a Diploma in Education from McGill University, a M.Ed. from the University of Vermont and a PhD in Education from Boston University.

John Davies

President
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Before joining Humber College, John Davies had a long and distinguished career in the public-school sector in Toronto. Mr. Davies has been a high school teacher, principal, superintendent and Director of the Toronto Board of Education. He served as C.E.O. of the Education Improvement Commission, charged with overseeing the amalgamation of school boards in Ontario, and with the implementation of a province-wide elementary and secondary school governance structure for Francophone Ontarians. Mr. Davies became President at Humber College in 2008 after serving as its Vice President, Administrative Services. He currently serves on the boards of the LEARNX Foundation, Skills Canada-Ontario, the William Osler Health System and the League for Innovation in the Community College. He holds degrees and post-graduate diplomas from the University of Wales, Oxford University, the University of Toronto and Brock University. Mr. Davies served as Chair of Polytechnics Canada from 2009 to 2011.

Dr. Glenn Feltham

President and CEO
NAIT

With an extensive background in law, taxation and finance, teaching and institutional administration, Dr. Glenn Feltham became NAIT’s sixth president and CEO on March 1, 2011. After obtaining two undergraduate degrees – a BA from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Montana –he completed an MBA, also at the University of Montana. Following that, Dr. Feltham obtained an LLB at Queen's University and, later, a PhD from the School of Accountancy, University of Waterloo. He is a designated certified management accountant, a fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada, a former president of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association and was enrolled as a barrister and solicitor of the Law Society of Alberta. Prior to joining NAIT, Dr. Feltham spent seven years as dean of the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba. Previously, he served as director of Undergraduate Business Programs in the School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, then as department head of Accounting at the College of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan. While in Winnipeg, he chaired the board of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and was a board member of the Winnipeg Airports Authority and the Manitoba Crown Corporations Council.

Irene Lewis

President and CEO
SAIT Polytechnic

Named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network, Irene Lewis became President and CEO of SAIT Polytechnic in 1998. Her distinguished career in education spans more than 40 years, the breadth of Canada's educational system and two continents. Today, SAIT is recognized globally as a leader in energy and petroleum training and as a trailblazer in applied research and innovation. In 2007, Ms. Lewis introduced a 100-year capital expansion plan that aims to triple SAIT’s student body. She is also the driving force behind the new $400-million Trades and Technology Complex, scheduled to open in the fall of 2012, and SAIT’s $100-million capital campaign. Prior to joining SAIT, Ms. Lewis was president of NorQuest College in Edmonton and also worked in Singapore for more than five years, where she had a central role in shaping that country's vision for workforce development. Ms. Lewis has written textbooks, hosted an educational television series and taught in primary, secondary and post-secondary systems. In 2010, Ms. Lewis received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary. Among numerous other honours, she has received the [Alberta] Premier’s Gold Award of Excellence, a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and a University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award. Ms. Lewis is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta and serves on the board of the Post-Secondary International Network. From its inception in 2008 until 2012, she was a member of the Alberta Health Services board, responsible for overseeing the province’s health care system. Ms. Lewis has also chaired the Alberta Economic Development Authority’s Energy Resource committee and has served in advisory roles with many other organizations. Ms. Lewis helped to create Polytechnics Canada in 2003 and served for several years as its Vice Chair till 2009.

David Agnew

President
Seneca College

With extensive experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors, David Agnew became President of Seneca College on July 1, 2009. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Ombudsman of Banking Services and Investments. Previously, Mr. Agnew was President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, a Principal at the strategy consulting firm Digital 4Sight and Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario. Mr. Agnew also headed the Ontario public service as the Secretary of Cabinet from 1992 to 1995, led the Public-Private Partnerships Project and was Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario for two years. He was seconded to the University of Toronto from 1995 to 1996, was a Senior Resident at Massey College and is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Mr. Agnew's experience extends to the field of journalism, having worked as a newspaper reporter in St. John's, Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton. He is also a director of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky

President and CEO
Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky is Sheridan's sixth president, a position he assumed on February 1, 2010. Prior to joining Sheridan, Dr. Zabudsky worked at post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta, including six years as President and CEO of Red River College in Winnipeg. Dr. Zabudsky holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Alberta, a Masters of Distance Education from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Ryerson University. He was Chair of the 2011 United Way of Oakville campaign cabinet, a member of the United Way of Peel campaign cabinet and a member of Mississauga's Healthy City Stewardship Centre. In addition, Dr. Zabudsky serves on the Brampton Board of Trade's Governing Council and sits on the Board of Directors for the Mississauga Board of Trade. He is also a member of the Halton Industry Education Council and the City of Mississauga's Post-Secondary Task Force.